Rambles about Portsmouth. Sketches of persons, localities, and incidents of two centuries: principally from tradition and unpublished documents. By Charles W. Brewster.

BIOGPApPHICAL SKETCH. 13
ang in 1868, are at once the record of his industry, the illustration of
his taste, the photograph of his character, his real biography. During the whole of that period he was the principal writer, and every
volume, every number, shows his taste as a printer, his ability as a
writer, and his discriminating judgment in making selections. It
has been well remarked, that the success of an editor depends quite as
much on what he keeps out of his columns, as on what he puts into
them. It would be difficult to find a newspaper more fiee from every
thing offensive to good taste. He aimed to make, and he did make,
his Journal a good and valued family paper. Although it was always
decided in its political principles, yet it supported them in a manner
so free from bitterness, and was in other respects so judiciously
managed, that it went into many families in which there was no sympathy with its politics.
Although his paper was the organ, in this part of the State, of the
party to which he belonged, and although he gave to his party a firm
and uniform support, yet he found more satisfaction in getting up the
miscellaneous than the political part of his paper. I have called
upon him more than once in the midst of an exciting-political campaign, and found him absorbed in writing a " Ramble, " or delighted
with an ancient manuscript, or some scrap of history or biography.
In the early part of his editorial experience, while the matter for
his paper, during the week, was being put into type, he was arranging
in his mind the location of it for the making up of his paper. Every
article was thus assorted and located, by a rule as inflexible as that
by which the naturalist classifies animals. And when on Friday he
began to make up his paper, each article fell into its assigned place
as regularly as the types of which it was composed fell, when distributed, into their proper boxes.
Mr. Brewster did not regard his paper only or chiefly as a means
of making an income, but he viewed it as an instrument through
which he was to perform important social duties. Ile felt as much
responsible for the influence that his Journal exerted upon the community as for his personal example in his family or upon his employees. And he used every available means to make his influence felt for
good. Hle thought not only the tone of his paper should be pure, but
he believed that a correct style in arranging the matter, and beauty